At home I go to gamble at Turning Stone Casino in upstate New York.
http://thelandingcampground.com/
I throw a mattress in the back of the van, cover it with my favorite bedding and a fine soft pillow.
I hook up my homemade curtains for the side windows.
To block any light from the rear window, I bring a bit of masking tape and a black piece of plastic trash bag.
For $25 dollars even on weekend nights, I can park my room in a campsite where I can fish bass in the morning, get wifi on the picnic table where I cook my breakfast, get hot showers in the outside bathroom just a few steps away.
I have electric to plug in my computer or my sleep apnea machine.
Real camping luxury.
I am treated quite well by the "staff" (one woman who owns it and her husband who maintains it,) and no one minds if I roll in as late as 2 AM after a night of poker. I come in as quietly as I can on low headlights and minimize the sound of closing my car doors.
In the cooler months when I best like to go, the place is uncrowded.
I don't usually sleep in too long, but I never sleep in too long in the morning, and I may come back for a nap in the afternoon if it not too hot out.
I have discovered in Vegas that there is hot water as well as heat or air conditioning right inside the room, and I don't need to bring my own bed or towels or my own soap or shampoo. In fact, there is so much shampoo and soap that I often can bring enough home for my next few camping trips. At the Gold Spike I can get wifi and a heated pool for a morning swim, and Turner Classic Movies is on the television. When I take a nap, I can shut out much more daylight than I can camping.
Vegas is livin' in luxury.
Any Vegas bed without bedbugs is an improvement on my van.
And when I can get that luxury for $25 a night or free, I have more money left over for gambling.
On my last 23 day trip my rooms averaged out under $15 a night, so compared with the camping that gave me another $230, enough for three nights of poker, even if I lose money on all three nights.
My entire gambling budget for the trip would be lost with no chance of winning were I to pay just $30 more a night for a Vegas room as some Vegas visitors like to do.
In the campground I have to bring my own liquor. I never do in Vegas and I get the luxury of variety, following a Myer's rum with a taste of nuts and berries or a rusty nail.
I like the luxury of Vegas. I don't often miss the camping except perhaps some of those early mornings when I can't seem to sleep and wonder what the bass are hitting on the peninsula of the campground. I sometimes miss being able to cook my own breakfast in the fresh, pine scented outside air, but I can get by with that sacrifice, especially since often in Vegas, my breakfast is free, and there are no dishes and no need to replenish the ice in a cooler for a cold morning drink but unlimited cold water with lemon served in every buffet as well as juices.
I know that Vegas could offer me even more luxury, but since I'm accustomed to camping out near Turning Stone, why would I need more luxury than the Gold Spike offers at a bargain price?
A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. Henry David Thoreau ...
http://thelandingcampground.com/
I throw a mattress in the back of the van, cover it with my favorite bedding and a fine soft pillow.
I hook up my homemade curtains for the side windows.
To block any light from the rear window, I bring a bit of masking tape and a black piece of plastic trash bag.
For $25 dollars even on weekend nights, I can park my room in a campsite where I can fish bass in the morning, get wifi on the picnic table where I cook my breakfast, get hot showers in the outside bathroom just a few steps away.
I have electric to plug in my computer or my sleep apnea machine.
Real camping luxury.
I am treated quite well by the "staff" (one woman who owns it and her husband who maintains it,) and no one minds if I roll in as late as 2 AM after a night of poker. I come in as quietly as I can on low headlights and minimize the sound of closing my car doors.
In the cooler months when I best like to go, the place is uncrowded.
I don't usually sleep in too long, but I never sleep in too long in the morning, and I may come back for a nap in the afternoon if it not too hot out.
I have discovered in Vegas that there is hot water as well as heat or air conditioning right inside the room, and I don't need to bring my own bed or towels or my own soap or shampoo. In fact, there is so much shampoo and soap that I often can bring enough home for my next few camping trips. At the Gold Spike I can get wifi and a heated pool for a morning swim, and Turner Classic Movies is on the television. When I take a nap, I can shut out much more daylight than I can camping.
Vegas is livin' in luxury.
Any Vegas bed without bedbugs is an improvement on my van.
And when I can get that luxury for $25 a night or free, I have more money left over for gambling.
On my last 23 day trip my rooms averaged out under $15 a night, so compared with the camping that gave me another $230, enough for three nights of poker, even if I lose money on all three nights.
My entire gambling budget for the trip would be lost with no chance of winning were I to pay just $30 more a night for a Vegas room as some Vegas visitors like to do.
In the campground I have to bring my own liquor. I never do in Vegas and I get the luxury of variety, following a Myer's rum with a taste of nuts and berries or a rusty nail.
I like the luxury of Vegas. I don't often miss the camping except perhaps some of those early mornings when I can't seem to sleep and wonder what the bass are hitting on the peninsula of the campground. I sometimes miss being able to cook my own breakfast in the fresh, pine scented outside air, but I can get by with that sacrifice, especially since often in Vegas, my breakfast is free, and there are no dishes and no need to replenish the ice in a cooler for a cold morning drink but unlimited cold water with lemon served in every buffet as well as juices.
I know that Vegas could offer me even more luxury, but since I'm accustomed to camping out near Turning Stone, why would I need more luxury than the Gold Spike offers at a bargain price?
A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. Henry David Thoreau ...
No comments:
Post a Comment